The Green Sweater an Interactive Monk story
by Marie S Zachary
Summary: A green sweater turns out to cause Monk to have the best day of his life... along with Trudy's parents, their children and everyone else who loved her  Round Robin story


Disclaimer: I don't own Monk just the idea

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><p>It was years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Natalie had been in an accident. She could remember opening her car door and some force knocking her against a brick wall. Her face had been burned off along with her identity. She woke up from a coma 10 years ago and had no idea who she was. All of a sudden her memories were starting to come back to her. It was years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago.<p>

It so happened that she would discover who she was this year. She was 33 and so much time had passed since then. It started as an ordinary day. She went over to Mr. Monk's house at her usual time.

"Hi Natalie," Monk said, "Want some apple-juice?"

"Sure," Natalie said with a smile, "Thanks"

"Great," Monk said, "While you're at it pour me one"

"Or," Natalie suggested, "You could get one for me"

"Fine," Monk said pouring her a glass of apple juice and one for himself

He gave her the apple-juice. They were talking when her eyes wondered to a picture over Mr. Monk's fireplace. She gasped and dropped her drink. She started shaking so badly.

"NATALIE," Monk said, "Are you alright?" After getting her breath back

"Natalie" answered him.

"Mr. Monk," she said, "in that picture… Trudy's wearing a green sweater"

"You just noticed that," he asked, "You've seen that picture probably hundreds of times."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND," Natalie said, "I HAVE a green sweater"

"Lots of people have green sweaters, Natalie," Monk said. "I've seen hundreds of green sweaters in my life."

"So have I," Natalie said, feeling annoyed, "But my green sweater is exactly the same as the one Trudy is wearing in that picture."

"That's impossible," Monk replied. "That sweater was hand knitted for Trudy by her mother. It was one of a kind. She was wearing it the day she died and it was destroyed in the blast. Your sweater can't be exactly the same as Trudy's sweater."

"I know what I see, Mr. Monk," Natalie replied. "And it is exactly the same." Seeing Monk still looking unconvinced, she turned around, grabbed her stuff, and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Monk asked.

"To go get my sweater," Natalie said, and walked out the door.

When she reached her house, Natalie hurried up the steps and inside. She quickly made her way to her bedroom, went over to her closet, threw open the door, and began searching for the sweater. She found it, pulled it out, laid it out flat on her bed, and turned on the light on her bedside table so she could get a good look at it. It was the exact same shade of green as Trudy's sweater, and it was covered with black marks and had several holes in it. The sweater had been badly burned at some point in the past. The car bomb. It had to be. She quickly folded the sweater up and went back to her car.

Back at Monk's apartment, she presented Monk with the sweater. "See?" she said.

Monk gingerly took the sweater. He remembered that one of the cables in Trudy's sweater was crooked. He found the corresponding cable in this sweater, followed it down and, in the exact same place where Trudy's sweater cable had twisted, this one did, too, and in the same direction. He carefully turned it inside out and looked on the underside of where the arm joined onto the body. There was a tiny knot there, just like there was on Trudy's sweater. He turned it right-side out again and carefully folded it before setting it on the table. His mind was whirling. Only one explanation came to mind. It was completely illogical, but yet it was the only thing that made sense. He turned to face Natalie.

"Trudy?"

"It only makes sense," she whispered, "I mean it doesn't make sense but it only makes sense"  
>He knew it was her. He was feeling a million different things; joy confussion fear excitment along with realization of the past which would take a little time to resolve itself combine into one. It was going 2 b hard 4 him 2 b patient. But the past couldn't reval itself. It needed to be resolved. He knew one thing for sure. He was not going to lose her again.<p>

"I... know what you mean," he whispered.

"Wait," he said, "Just to be sure take off your socks"

"M- my socks?"

"Yes. Trudy has a scar on her ankle. I have an identical one."

"Oh the one that looks like a starfish?"

"Yes," he said, "That's the one"  
>She took off her socks. There was no question about it. Natalie... Trudy had that scar. She didn't remember anything about her past except for who she was. But she knew she loved Adrian and Adrian knew he loved her<p>

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><p>This is a round robin story. Anyone wishing to participate send me your version of chapter two by next Friday. I will put all of the versions up and then leave it to the readers to vote for the best one. Chapter 2 must start like this.<p>

When the moment passed, Trudy suddenly realized that even though she didn't remember anything about her past before the explosion, Monk did. He could tell her at least about their past as a couple. "A-Adrian?" she asked. It would take some getting used to calling him by his first name.

"Yes, Nat...er...Trudy?" Monk asked.

Trudy felt better knowing she wasn't the only one struggling with the abrupt change in what they should call each other. "The explosion caused me to lose my memory," she said. "When I woke up in the hospital, I couldn't remember anything. Not even my name. Apparently either I'd left all my identification at home that day or it was destroyed in the blast or something, because nobody else knew anything about me, either. It was the surgeon who operated on me who gave me the name Natalie Teeger." She paused. "Will you tell me everything you know about me?" she asked.

"Of course," Monk replied.

She smiled a smile that lit up her face. He loved that smile. Using his finger he brushed her hair from behind her ear.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered.

"I have so many beautiful memories of you," he added, "Actually I have a photo album that shares all of our memories. It's right over there in my bookcase. I organzied it by year."

"You organzied it by year?" she asked

"And month," he added, "And day"  
>He selected a book and turned it to the first page.<p>

"Oh I love this one," he said smiling.

It was a picture of the two of them at her best friend's wedding.

((Flashback))

"Adrian," Trudy said excitedly, "Ilizabeth called today. She's getting married."  
>Ilizabeth was Trudy's childhood friend from grade school.<p>

"That's wonderful," he said smiling, "When's the wedding"

"Next week in Atlantia," she said, "Can we go?"


End file.
